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These items could be added to current pre-implant checklists to assist a multidisciplinary team in ensuring that all areas have been addressed prior to implantation in candidates with prelingual hearing loss to minimize post-implant misunderstandings and disappointment.
- Complete a Graded Profile Analysis (GPA; Schramm et al., 2002), which consolidates both medical and non-medical factors that are important for implant use and success. This profile was specifically developed for individuals with long durations of hearing loss and should be completed prior to implantation and shared with all multidisciplinary team members.
- Provide a visualization of projected sentence scores that illustrates alternative outcomes for adults with long-term hearing loss. Visualization of quantitative data capitalizes on the visual strengths of persons with prelinguistic hearing loss.
- Complete a communication self-assessment with candidates to document their perspectives, i.e., Performance Inventory for Severe and Profound Losses (Owens & Raggio, 1988) or Communication Self Assessment Inventory for Deaf Adults (Kaplan et al., 1991). These assessments can also be administered post-operatively and can help identify goals for rehabilitation. Each takes approximately 45-50 minutes to complete.
- Complete a pre-implant quality of life survey such as WHODAS II which incorporates communication and understanding issues within a quality of life context. A short 12-item form that takes approximately five minutes is available at www.who.int/icidh/whodas/.
- Discuss the possibility of wearing a hearing aid in the ear opposite the implanted ear to continue to provide stimulation to the nonimplanted ear. A thorough summary of the benefits of using bimodal stimulation can be obtained through Ching, Incerti, Hill, and Brew (2004).
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